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<p>The House of Lords does not draw any of its food from organic sources nor is any
of the food offered categorised as “whole-food”. Fruit and vegetables used by the
House sourced from the home counties are set out in the table below. Free-range chicken
served in the House is mostly from Gloucestershire and Essex. The Salt Marsh lamb
is from the Romney Marsh in Kent.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Produce</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Source
county</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Asparagus</p></td><td><p>Hampshire</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Beetroot</p></td><td><p>Bedfordshire</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Bramley
apple</p></td><td><p>Cambridgeshire</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Cauliflower</p></td><td><p>Kent</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Herbs
(potted)</p></td><td><p>Hampshire</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Jacket potatoes</p></td><td><p>Hertfordshire</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>New
potatoes</p></td><td><p>Kent</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Raspberries</p></td><td><p>Sussex</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Red
potatoes</p></td><td><p>Kent</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Spring greens</p></td><td><p>Cambridgeshire</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Strawberries</p></td><td><p>Kent</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Tomatoes
(gourmet)</p></td><td><p>Sussex</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Vitelotte potatoes</p></td><td><p>Kent</p></td></tr></tbody></table>

<p>The following information about decisions on the new security contract arrangements
was published in March 2014:</p><p>“In March 2015, the current contract with the Metropolitan
Police Service (MPS) to provide armed protection, policing and security officer functions
will expire. Over the last year, the Security Arrangements Renewal Programme (SARP)
Board has been working to analyse options and make a recommendation on new contract
arrangements to be introduced next year. That recommendation was endorsed by the Lords
House Committee and the Commons Commission.</p><p>The agreed recommendation is that
the two Houses should renegotiate with the MPS to continue to provide security officer
functions, armed protection and policing, whilst moving the provision of the search
and screening function for the three main public entrances (Black Rod's Garden, Cromwell
Green and Portcullis House) to a specialist commercial provider. The Clerk of the
House and the Clerk of the Parliaments have now written to the Metropolitan Police
Commissioner requesting new arrangements from 2015, and a commercial procurement for
search and screening will start soon.</p><p>This is a major contract for Parliament,
both in terms of its financial value and its central role in ensuring the security
of parliamentarians, employees and visitors to the Parliamentary Estate. As well as
continuing to benefit from the expertise and experience of the Metropolitan Police
officers and staff, new search and screening arrangements at the busiest public entrances
will be better able to provide the greater flexibility and scalability needed to meet
Parliament's changing requirements for public access”.</p><p>Discussions with the
Metropolitan Police Service on future arrangements are continuing. Security matters
are not discussed on the floor of the House and the House Committee has agreed to
the initial approach taken by the Security Arrangements Renewal Programme Board. That
Committee will be further consulted during the process. I have no plans to initiate
a debate on the floor of the House.</p>

<p>Practice in recent years is well-established: Private Members' Bills introduced
in the House of Lords are offered Second Reading slots in the order in which they
receive their First Reading. Second Readings for Private Members' Bills introduced
this session have been scheduled on Friday 27 June and Friday 18 July; further Second
Readings will be arranged in due course. A ballot to determine the order in which
Private Members' Bills receive their First Reading will be introduced from the start
of the new Parliament (3rd Report of the Procedure Committee, Session 2013-14).</p><p>For
Bills that receive a Second Reading, formal consideration of their remaining stages
will be arranged where no amendments are tabled and where the Member in charge so
requests. Where Bills receive a Second Reading but require further substantive consideration
of amendments, they will be competing for time with Private Members' Bills that are
received from the House of Commons and Private Members' Bills introduced in this House
that are still awaiting a Second Reading.</p><p>My noble friend the Government Chief
Whip will endeavour to facilitate the progress of bills in each of those categories.</p><p>
</p>

<p>Members have access to the House of Lords estate 24 hours a day, including during
weekends. Outside regular hours (advertised in the <em>Handbook on facilities and
services for Members and their staff</em>), Members may gain access to the estate
by use of their electronic pass at Carriage Gates.</p>

To ask the Chairman of Committees, further to the Written Answer by the Chairman of
Committees on 18 June (WA 67), whether decisions to make new policing contract arrangements
in 2015 arose from dissatisfaction with the manner and efficiency of the present arrangements;
how many existing police officers will be removed from security duties on the Parliamentary
estate after March 2015; and what financial savings are envisaged.

<p>The arrangements for policing and security on the Parliamentary Estate needed to
be renewed because the current contract with the Metropolitan Police Service expires
in March 2015. In line with best practice, a number of options have been evaluated
to ensure that Parliamentary security remains effective and responsive to future demands.
All options assume that both armed and unarmed police officers will continue to be
provided by the Metropolitan Police. It would be inappropriate to provide information
on the costs of the new arrangements while negotiations are underway.</p><p>The number
of police officers and security staff required under the new arrangements will be
determined by Parliament's operational and security requirement and how providers,
including the Metropolitan Police Service, propose to meet these requirements. It
will not be possible to give final numbers for police officers and security staff
until new arrangements are agreed.</p>

<p>The House of Lords has no such plans. A series of events was held in 2012 to mark
the 200<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the assassination of Prime Minister Spencer Perceval.
The House of Commons authorities plan to erect a plaque in St Stephen's Hall near
the spot where Spencer Perceval was assassinated.</p>

<p>Fifty-four peers who were Members of the House of Lords at the time of the last
General Election have not attended a sitting of the House since then. This figure
includes six Members who hold disqualifying judicial offices, three Members who resigned
under the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 (one of whom has since died),
two Members who have retired under the informal retirement scheme, twenty-two Members
who have taken leave of absence, twenty Members who have died and one who has not
yet taken the oath (having been disqualified until the end of June 2014). A list of
their names has been placed in the Library of the House.</p>

To ask the Leader of the House whether she will discourage ministers and spokespersons
from answering Questions for Written Answer by referring to websites, in order to
accommodate those without internet access.

<p>On 13 May the House agreed a new set of rules to govern the content of written
answers, in response to the introduction of a new electronic system for submitting
them. While the digital copy of answers will be the definitive record copy, all written
answers will continue to be published, and a signed copy will continue to be sent
to the Peer asking the question.</p><p>These rules make clear that all answers should
be complete and comprehensible, and not rely on references to external documents or
webpages. They also make clear that supporting documents should be included as attachments,
not hyperlinks, and referred to in the answer itself. Any attachments that are included
will be available in the Library to be printed out on demand.</p><p>All of these rules
will help to accommodate those without internet access. I will remind all Lords Ministers
to adhere to them.</p><p> </p>

<p>PICT employs 1 member of staff at senior pay band 2 and 4 at senior pay band 1.</p><p>
</p><p>Pay for senior staff in the House of Commons, under whose terms and conditions
PICT staff are paid, has increased over the last 5 years as follows:</p><p> </p><p>
</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Financial year</p></td><td><p>Percentage increase</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>13/14</p></td><td><p>yet
to be agreed</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>12/13</p></td><td><p>0%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>11/12</p></td><td><p>0%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>10/11</p></td><td><p>0%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>09/10</p></td><td><p>2.3%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>08/09</p></td><td><p>2.5%</p></td></tr></tbody></table>

To ask the Leader of the House, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 17 July
(WA 144–5), whether she will discourage ministers and spokespersons from answering
Written Questions by reference to websites.